Description - This park's close proximity to Denver and numerous activities make it a special place to visit. The park is popular for its relaxed environment and beautiful views of the nearby foothills. Come out to this delightful retreat for great camping, boating and fishing.

Attractions
- Chatfield's unique opportunities for resource education, diverse ecosystems, expansive trail system coupled with boating in a beautiful setting make the park special for all recreational users. Chatfield State Recreation Area is one of several parks located a few miles outside of metro Denver.

This site boasts a 1,550 acre reservoir that supports every type of water-related activity except for surfing. Chatfield also encompasses a 27 acre nature preserve, which hosts nesting sights for a multitude of bird species. Great blue herons nest at Chatfield from March through September in the heronry on the south side of the park. Campgrounds, marinas and riding stables make this an attractive place for Denverites to spend their summer weekends. The Denver Greenway Trail begins at Chatfield and follows the South Platte River north through the city.

Recreation - Chatfield is one of the most complete parks in Colorado, including camping, a full-service livery, miles of hiking and biking trails, a popular lake, the Chatfield marina and one of the most popular hot-air balloon launch areas on the Front Range.

Climate - Climate conditions in Colorado should be taken seriously throughout the state. Snow and ice are common on roads and trails from mid-October through late April. In the summer months, snow is still possible but less common. Varying conditions throughout a given day can be expected throughout the year. Remember that summer days can typically have beautiful sunny mornings and short sudden thunderstorms in the afternoon.

Please prepare appropriately for your outdoor experience.

Location -
Access to Chatfield is from Denver south on Wadsworth Boulevard to Colorado Highway 121 south, then east into the Deer Creek entrance. Alternate access is south on Santa Fe Boulevard to Titan Road, then north to the Plum Creek entrance. The park is only eight mils south of the metro area on the South Platte River. It is surrounded on the western and southern sides by the Pike National Forest.

Current Conditions & Trip Reports

Trip Reports:
Add your own trip Report!Newly re-released feature. One of the most popular features on Wildernet, trip reports allow you to share your experiences with others.
This is an invaluable resource for determining what to expect on your outdoor adventure, so please participate! To prevent spamming, you must be a registered user of Wildernet in order to submit a trip reportFiled By: Liss
(brighton, CO)
Number of People Encountered: 50+ pplRecommend to a Friend: Not RecommendedReport: If you don't mind a good walk from car to beach-not fun when lugging lunch and toys-rocky beach, oil slick on top of water, cloudy water, swimming in trash and the smell, then you will enjoy the view, and there is an adult swim area outside of reg swim area. I'm sure boating is good, wouldnt eat any fish from here. Also bird poop covers the beach area, not a very good swim beach. Have been there 2005 and 2006 will not go back again, kids don't like the dirty beach. Filed By: Larry Number of People Encountered: 11-25 pplRecommend to a Friend: HighlyReport: Have had the best luck trolling on the west side of the dam using Rapala's. Last trip out 11/4 pulled 6, 15-20' stocked brood trout in about 4 hours. Fishing seems to be good right now. Filed By: baylen troutner Number of People Encountered: 0-10 pplRecommend to a Friend: NeutralReport: the time i first went to chatfield it was kindda scary because i had never been fishing before so my dad and i started and we were there for about 2 and a half hours and haven't caught any thing so right as we brought the line in we both realized we had a fish mine was about 12inches 5 or 6 oz 5 pounds and my dads was about 20inches 7pounds thanks for reading good luck on fishing yallFiled By: T.C.
(Sandy, Utah)
Number of People Encountered: 11-25 pplRecommend to a Friend: HighlyReport: I went to this park last year on an awesome camping trip, and this park is so awesome, quiet, and neat that words don't even begin to describe how cool it is. The campsites are well shaded and are on mown lawns, and the central flush restrooms with showers and a laundry facitlity were very clean and modern. The thing I thought that was the coolest was that you could easily walk to the swimbeach with it's sandy shore and perfect water temperatures, the snack bar near the beach when open, the group picnic area with a volleyball court, and flush restroom (this one is not lighted at night, but no worries lighted restrooms are within an easy minute length walk) go to the vending machines by the swimbeach bathhouse with outdoor showers, and flush toilets (this one is lighted at night) and fishing from the shores all within less than a minutes walk. All this and believe it or not, even when full it is suprisingly very quiet at night, and not crowded at all, considering there is only about 20 campsites. No RV hookups here, but who needs them you've got electricity, water, and clean restroom/shower facitilies within an easy walk from any campsite. Plus there is a Dump Station situated at the Entrance Station to empty your RV tanks, and all that other stuff. I would recommend this campground to anyone. It is absoluetley stunning.Number of People Encountered: 50+ pplRecommend to a Friend: NeutralReport: Lots of folks enjoy this lake esp. if you have a boat. But if you're just camping, it's a differant story. All the picnic areas are shaded. All the campsites are not. Go figure.

Additional Information:Colorado Lakes & Reservoirs - The lakes and reservoirs included in this list range from small mountain lakes surrounded by snow capped peaks, to large reservoirs with beaches and boating facilities.Colorado State Parks - Colorado is world renowned for natural beauty and outdoor recreation. Visiting Colorado's state parks is an excellent way to gain access to the natural environment and the recreation opportunities created by it.Denver Area - The largest city in Colorado, Denver is a major transportation hub for those coming to the mountains.Northwest Region - This diverse area encompasses mountains and high desert. The terrain supports a huge variety of recreation opportunities and some of Colorado's world famous resorts.